


Time Doesn't Always Heal Pain

by bafflethemwithbullshit



Series: Ducklings [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Daisy's a teenager, Ducklings - Freeform, F/M, Mama May and her Ducklings, Vodka Aunt Maria, hopping on the bandwagon, mama may, papa phil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 03:52:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8386165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bafflethemwithbullshit/pseuds/bafflethemwithbullshit
Summary: Daisy's fifteen years old. She's been in and out of more foster homes than she cares to admit. But then she meets Melinda May, a New York Detective with a cold exterior and a heart of gold.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WELCOME.
> 
> Okay so I know there are a lot of stories about Philinda fostering Daisy, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon anyway. I was going to write her as Skye but it's been two seasons so I think it's time to move on.
> 
> ENJOY.

"Mary Sue!" Sister Margaret explained up the stairs of the children's home. She'd been there her entire life, and she was now fifteen, and yet she still called her by that God-Awful name.

Daisy rolled her eyes as she put her laptop back under her mattress, where she always hid it so no one would find it. She knew what that tone was, and she knew what day it was.

"Open Day". The worst day in orphanage history. Where all the kids in the home were put on display, like dogs or clothes, and families picked which ones they liked. She was rarely ever picked, and when she was, it always ended badly. That's why, after fifteen years, she was still in this hell-hole. She doesn't even try anymore. There's no point. No one wants to adopt a fifteen year old kid. Especially one like her.

Daisy looked at herself in the mirror. The nuns always make her wear a dress - apparently it makes her look 'daughterly'. She managed to convince them to let her pick the dress out, but she's still trying to convince them to let her get a part time job, so she could save up for her own clothes. The dress was pink, which she appreciated a little more than when she was younger, but she only wears it on Sundays, the Open Days.

"Mary Sue!" Sister Margaret yelled again, making Daisy roll her eyes once again.

"I'm coming, Sister!" she called back as sweetly as she could. Margaret wasn't a big fan of hers these days. Probably because she just kept coming back. Daisy made her way down to the foot of the stairs where Sister Margaret was waiting for her.

"Mary Sue, I need you to go and help the twins get ready for today," Sister Margaret said to her "The families will be here soon, and they seem to listen to you,"

"Yes, Sister," Daisy responded, and made her way back up the stairs again, sighing slightly as she made her way to the twins' room "Hey troublemakers," she smiled to the two little boys who looked like they were wrestling, but not hard "Time to get ready,"

The boys stopped and looked at her "Daisy!" one of them exclaimed as he jumped off the bed "Which one of us do you think is stronger?"

Daisy laughed at them "You're six James," she responded "You're both weak,"

"Rude." the other one, Michael stated flatly. Daisy grinned as she made her way to their dresser drawers to pull out some clothes for them both. He'd learnt that from her.

"Daisy, why does Sister Margaret keep calling you Mary Sue?" asked James as he stepped closer to her.

Daisy looked back at the innocent blonde haired, blue eyed, six year old and sighed "I don't know, sweetie, I honestly don't," she pulled out two outfits from the drawers and gave them to each of them "Put these on,"

The boys had learnt how to dress themselves pretty early on in life, they just needed help with little things, like little buttons, ties or laces. The boys got dressed and Daisy sat down behind them one at a time to do their hair.

"Hey Daisy?" Michael asked quietly, making Daisy look at him "How come you don't have a family?"

She paused. She took a breath.

"You're the only family I need," she said to him, giving him a small smile before kissing him on the head and finishing James' hair.

Daisy knows exactly why she hasn't got a family. Because no one would ever want a kid like her.

* * *

Open Day was just as shit as the rest of them. A few people came to talk to her, but she was too old now, so it doesn't really matter.

The rest of the kids were upstairs in their rooms, and she was stuck doing chores. Not that she minded anymore, it took her mind off the day that had just been. A knock at the door, sounded through the bottom floor.

"Mary Sue, would you get that please?" she heard Sister Margaret yell to her, making her roll her eyes and make her way to the front door, opening it up so her body was taking up the entire gap.

There stood a woman, on the porch, in all black. Black top, black jeans, black boots, black aviators...and the part that made Daisy look at the longest - a black leather jacket.

"Yes?" Daisy pulled herself out of the trance and watched her take her aviators off and hook in the v of her shirt.

"Hi," the woman said, moving her jacket to the side to reveal a gold badge on her hip "I'm Detective May, I'm with the NYPD," she explained, before letting her jacket go "What's your name?"

Daisy hesitated, not really sure whether to trust her or not, but relented "Daisy."

"Well, Daisy, I'm just investigating an incident on your street that took place a couple nights ago, do you mind if I come in to ask you a few questions?"

Daisy eyed the woman once more, she seemed friendly enough. She was a little distant, cold, but something told her that was just her natural state of being to people she's never met before.

"Sure," Daisy said and stepped aside, letting her into the house. She noticed her eyes dart around the room at lightning speed, and she knew what that was. She was checking all her exit points, Daisy does exactly the same thing when she goes to a new home. She learnt it was a useful tactic from a very young age "Do you want me to get the Sisters for you?"

"If you don't mind, thanks," May was left standing in the middle of the foyer, as Daisy quickly leapt upstairs.

May looked around at her surroundings. It was a somewhat large house, but then again, you'd need a large house with so many kids living in it. It reminded her of ones she'd seen before, ones she'd been called out to to get the kids out of there. She prayed to God that this home was not like one of those.

A moment later, she noticed Daisy coming back down with a nun and another woman "Detective," the woman smiled. She was the same height as her, but she had blonde hair that went to her shoulders and green eyes "I'm Elizabeth Meyer, I take care of the orphanage," she stuck out her hand to shake May's, which she took "This is Sister Margaret,"

"Thanks for speaking with me," May responded, nodding at the Sister in acknowledgement.

"Of course," Elizabeth responded and led her to the living area. May looked at the young girl, trying to gauge her interactions with the two women. But she was blank. As they sat down, Elizabeth continued "I understand something's happened?"

"Yes, a man on your street was murdered the other night," she replied solemnly as the two women let out gasps of shock.

Daisy's eyes bugged slightly, as May pulled out her phone, showing a photograph of the man "His name was Mike Peterson," she started "Do any of you recognize him?"

"Not really," Elizabeth shook her head "I mean I've seen him around but I've never spoken to him before, I never even knew his name,"

"No, I've never seen him before," Sister Margaret responded and she turned her head to Daisy "Mary Sue? Do you know him?"

May's eyes twitched at the Sister, frowning slightly at the name Mary Sue, knowing if that was her real name - she definitely didn't want to be called it. She then looked at Daisy, who looked like she'd gone a shade paler as her eyes were still a little wide.

"Uh, no, sorry," Daisy responded quickly.

Daisy hoped she wouldn't noticed. She did. But surprisingly, May didn't push it.

After a few more questions, May thanked them and made her way out, Daisy offering to show her out. When May took a few steps down towards the footpath, Daisy quietly followed her out and closed the door behind her.

"Detective May?" she asked, making the older woman turn on her heel to face her "I lied before,"

"I know," she said softly.

"I'm sorry, I just...they wouldn't understand," Daisy tried to explain.

"I know," May repeated, making Daisy squint slightly at her, wondering what her deal was "You're not my fist 'Mary Sue'."

Daisy nodded, glancing at the house quickly before looking down at the pavement "I'll tell you what," May started to say, knowing the girl might not be able to talk about this with the others just inside, and handed her a business card "Here's my number, whenever you have a chance, we can go somewhere else and talk about it,"

Daisy took the card from her, nodding her head as she finally looked up at the older woman "Thanks,"

May just nodded back at her before walking towards her car and opening the door, but pausing before she got in to say "Feel free to use it any time,"

* * *

She didn't get back to her apartment until almost 11 that night. It was just one of those days. She was dead on her feet, this case seemed pretty straight forward but she knew that was way too easy. Her phone rang and she sighed before she answered without looking at the number "May,"

_"Detective, it's Daisy,"_ the voice on the other end said in a quiet whisper.

"Daisy?" May asked, looking at the clock on the wall "Are you okay?"

_"I couldn't sleep,"_ she responded, making May sigh again, this time in empathy _"I was thinking, and I was talking to Mike a week or so ago and he said something that's really bothering me,"_

May frowned as she lent forward on her elbows on the bench top in her kitchen "What did he say?"

_"Not over the phone,"_ she whispered _"I'll meet you tomorrow night after I've done my chores,"_

"Where?" May asked, grabbing a loose sheet of paper and a random pen, scribbling down the time and address Daisy gave her "Okay, I'll be there,"

_"Okay,"_ Daisy whispered _"I have to go, goodnight, Detective,"_ and before she had a chance to respond, Daisy was gone. May frowned, the girl was whispering, but that was probably normal in a house full of kids and nuns.

Whilst her phone was still in her hand, May dialed another number _"You're supposed to be off-duty,"_

"Hill, I need you to do something for me," May responded, completely ignoring her partner's statement "St Agnes Orphanage, can you do a background check?"

_"Why? What's up?"_

May shook her head "Nothin' I just want to make sure, that's all,"

_"Is this about that girl?"_ Maria replied, and May could hear the faint sound of typing in the background.

"No, I just want to know that those kids are okay in there," May replied.

_"Okay, hang on a sec,"_ Hill said and May waited for a moment _"I can't find anything, there's no complaints, no warrants or disturbance calls, it looks like they're clean,"_

May nodded "Alright, thanks, go home,"

Maria snorted on the other end _"Yeah, sure,"_ she replied sarcastically _"I'll see you tomorrow, get some sleep,"_ and with that, she hung up. 

As she lay in bed, her mind drifted back to Daisy, and her heart broke. Talking with her, looking at her, she just looked so...resigned. Like she'd given up. She was damaged, and she knew it, she was just glad that Daisy called her. No kid should have to spend their entire childhood in that place.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Daisy managed to get out of the house without raising suspicion. Now that she was fifteen, the leash around her neck wasn't as tight as she used to be. They trusted her not to run away anymore. Telling the nuns she was going for a run, she grabbed the iPod that Elizabeth had bought for her for 'birthday' last year, and ran out of the house.

She waited for May at an internet cafe in the city, where the nuns never go, and she wouldn't be disturbed. She kept her earphones in, keeping her nerves at bay. She wasn't sure what it was about this woman, but it made her want to give her a good impression.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump out of her seat and stumble a meter back, her eyes wide as she ripped the earphones out of her ears, her breath catching slightly.

May held her hands up in defense and took a step back, to gesture that she wasn't intending on hurting her "I didn't mean to frighten you," May said gently, trying to soothe the girl. This was not the first time dealing with a jumpy kid.

Daisy let out a breath, and nodded "Sorry, I just didn't see you there,"

May gestured to the chairs, telling her to sit back down, as she took a seat across from the girl "I'm glad you called," Daisy looked at her, almost puzzled. No one has ever been glad to hear from her before "How long have you been at the orphanage?" May started.

Daisy shook her head, shaking herself into concentration "Uh, my entire life, don't know anything about my parents," she started "And by this point, I don't really want to,"

May nodded, but Daisy wasn't able to read her in any way, which was oddly comforting. There was no pity there, and she didn't feel sorry for Daisy being an orphan. She was just listening.

"Sister Margaret still calls you Mary Sue, huh?"

Daisy rolled her eyes "Yeah, that's what they put on the birth certificate," she started "Seriously, I was born in 2000, who calls a kid Mary Sue in 2000?"

May gave off a smirk "So why 'Daisy'?"

Daisy shrugged "My favorite flower," she explained "I'm not really a flowers kind of gal but hey..." Daisy looked at May "So, do you have any kids?"

May smiled slightly "Two,"

"How old?"

"15 and 20," May replied "Both in college"

"Your fifteen year old is already in college?" Daisy raised an eyebrow, making May nod. Something told Daisy she wasn't really the sharing type, so she kept talking "You're not wearing a ring," she nodded to the detective's hand.

"I'm not married," May replied simply before asking "You ready to talk about Mike?"

Daisy's posture fell. Mike was her friend, his son Ace was cute and sweet and looked up to her for some reason "How's Ace doing?"

"He's with his grandparents, I'd imagine he doesn't fully understand what's happened yet," May explained, then sat in silence, waiting for Daisy to talk.

"He used to look out for me," said Daisy, picking out her nails "These guys on my street like to...harass me," she explained "But he would always be there to make them back off...'

"How?"

"They're scared of him, because of his leg and his burns, you know," Daisy explained "Last week he was walking with me and he said that if anything happened to him, blame _Centipede_ ,"

"Centipede?" May asked her, never having heard the name before.

Daisy shrugged "I don't know, I've never heard of it, I figured you'd know what it meant,"

May nodded slightly "I'll look into it, thanks,"

They sat there a while longer, talking until Daisy said she needed to get back to the orphanage. May drove her back to the orphanage (after a little stubbornness from Daisy who insisted she was fine to walk) in silence. She watched as a tear ran down the teenager's face driving past the Peterson house, and May stopped a couple houses down from the orphanage.

Daisy was about to open the door when May stopped her "Are you going to be okay?" Back in that house?

"I have been for the last fifteen years," Daisy replied, looking back at her "Thanks," she replied before hopping out of the car and making her way down the footpath.

May shook her head, she knew what she was about to do was a bad idea, but she couldn't let that girl back in that house. Not for tonight anyway. She needs some space to grieve, the process what's happened.

May quickly swung the door open and called out after her "Daisy!" she caught up to the teenager in a couple strides, due to the fact that she had stopped "Do you want to stay somewhere else tonight?"

Daisy looked down at the pavement "I don't have anywhere to go,"

"You can stay with me tonight," May stated, making the girl snap her eyes up, wide.

"I can't ask you to do that," Daisy shook her head "Honestly, I'll be fine," she replied and started to take off down the street again, but May saw her approaching a group of guys, eerily like the ones Daisy had described to her earlier. May took off after her, catching up to her side, just as the five young men stated to howl and whistle.

May was fine with shaking that off, until one of them tried grabbing Daisy's ass. That's when May saw red.

Without hesitating, May grabbed his wrist and broke it, making him fall to his knees as she punched him in the face, sending him to the ground. Daisy stepped back in shock as she watched the older woman beat the other four men close to unconsciousness within a matter of seconds.

Just as one of them tried to get up to keep going, May jerked her foot hard, right into his face - really knocking him out this time.

Daisy just stood there, shocked as May never took her eyes off of her. Her eyes started to fill up with tears in just the shock of everything coming down hard on her. Mike. Ace. The orphanage. These pricks. And May actually caring out her. It all came down at once, making May pull her into her chest.

"Come on, let's get a bag packed for you,"

After getting a bag for Daisy, they made their way back to the car, Daisy didn't notice one of the men from before come up behind her to smash her head into the window, sending her to the ground. In less than a second, May had leapt over the car and kicked him in the face before sending his skull hard into the pavement.

Looking at Daisy, she saw a large gosh on her head and she was struggling to stay upright sitting down. She rushed to her side and lifted her up into the car "I'm taking you to the hospital," she said, closing the door before walking over the groaning man on the ground "I'll deal with you tomorrow,"

* * *

"I'm fine, it's just a cut,"

"It's not just a cut, you could be concussed, or worse,"

He could hear two voices coming from the other side of the curtain in the ER. He smirked, mother and daughter, the mother probably overreacting as per usual. He opened the curtain to see who was behind it, and the mother was not overreacting.

The girl had a nasty laceration on her forehead surrounded by a nasty looking bruise "Great! Doc, you're here!" the girl exclaimed "Just smack a band aid on this thing and we can get out of here,"

"You literally have blood running down your face, I'm surprised your conscious to be honest," he replied "So that's not gonna happen,"

The mother smirked at the teenager who rolled her eyes ad slumped back on the bed "I'm Doctor Coulson, but you can call me Phil," he extended his hand out to the older woman, who he stared at for probably too long. She was gorgeous, the kind of gorgeous that only intensifies when they have no idea how beautiful they really are.

"May," she replied, to which he nodded, forcing himself to rip his eyes away from the woman and turn his head back to the teenager who had watched the entire exchange and smirked at him. Like mother, like daughter.

"Daisy," she introduced.

"So, Daisy, what happened here?" he asked, pulling a wheelie stool up in front of her to examine the gash.

"My head was super excited to meet a window," she started "But the window just wasn't interested,"

May smirked at the girl as Phil laughed at her joke "Well I'm glad you still have your sense of humor,"

"It's a blessing and a curse, really," Daisy responded "Some people love them, sometimes I get a bit of resistance,"

"Like a window?" Phil asked.

"Like a window," Daisy responded with a single nod, making Phil chuckle as he gloved up "Are you gonna go back and arrest him?" Daisy looked at May as much as she could, considering she was trying not to move as Phil started to work on her wound.

"I've already sent my partner to haul his ass into the station," May replied.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Daisy said quietly "But thanks,"

"Any time, kid,"

Phil used this moment to talk to the mother again "You're a cop?"

"Yeah," May nodded.

"I bet you've seen some things in your time," he continued, glancing at her as he tried to concentrate on the girl in front of him.

"A bit,"

"You're not much of a talker, are you, Officer May?" Phil asked her, sterilizing Daisy's head.

"It's Detective," May responded, her arms crossed over her chest "And why don't you just concentrate on the task at hand,"

"Should I be offended? Or is she like this with everyone?" Phil asked the amused teenager on the end of the bed.

"All I know is she can beat your ass without even flinching, so I wouldn't want to get on her bad side," Daisy pointed out.

"Thanks for the tip," Phil replied.

"You know I can hear you..." May said.

"Well, you're not much of a conversationalist, so I have to take another route to get to know you," Phil replied, focusing on the needle he's threading to go through the girl's forehead.

"And why would you want that?" May asked flatly, rolling her eyes.

"You fascinate me," Phil replied, rubbing a numbing agent on the girls forehead, before he starts to stitch "I don't think I've met anyone like you before in my entire life,"

Daisy looked between the cop and the doctor, smirking at the interaction. They were complete opposites. On one hand, May hates talking and is very closed off to other people, whilst Phil Coulson here appears to wear his heart on his sleeve and loves the sound of his own voice.

May rolled her eyes again at the man, but stepped closer to the girl as she winced at the needle, but Phil kept talking "You know, for what it's worth Detective, I believe fate brought us here together tonight,"

"Is that right?" May responded as she saw the girl's eyes darting between the two of them in amusement, completely forgetting about the needle.

"Oh, absolutely," said Phil "You may think it was a car window that brought you here tonight, but I'm telling you...the stars are aligning,"

"Sure," May nodded "Tell me Doctor, how cold is it up there in the clouds?"

Daisy snorted and Phil grinned as he tied off the last stitch and stuck a bandage over the girl's head.

"Okay, all done," Phil said to Daisy, making her look at him in surprise.

"Really? That was quick," she replied.

"I'm a very good multi-tasker," he winked at her, making her grin at him and May rolled her eyes "Now, Detective, I've got some forms just outside for you to fill out, and then I can send you on your merry way," he explained as he stood and started to walk out "So, if you'd like to follow me,"

"I'll be right back," she told the teenager, making her nod, and followed the Doctor out to the nurses station to get some paperwork filled out.

He handed over a clipboard with a pen and opened his mouth to speak, only to be hushed by the woman in front of him, looking down at the forms as she filled them out "If you spout some bullshit about fate again, I'm going to hit you,"

Phil chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck "No, I was about to apologize," he explained, making her look up at him momentarily "Your daughter seems like a sweet kid, and distracting them with something often makes them forget about the pain and focus on something else, it seemed to work,"

May didn't let the surprise show on her face, she just gave him a small lip twitch and nodded to him "Thanks," She didn't correct him when he called Daisy her daughter, because at the end of the day, he didn't really need to know that, there was no point correcting him.

"Anytime," he replied as May handed the paperwork back to him "And besides Detective, when I ask you out...it would be a lot smoother than 'fate has brought you here'," he said, walking back towards the bed with the teenager in it.

May raised an eyebrow as she followed him "Hang on... _'when'_?"

Phil smirked at her "Yeah," he lifted up the clipboard with the paperwork on it "I've already got your number,"

May rolled her eyes as they pulled back the curtain to reveal a sleeping girl "Can I let her sleep?"

Phil nodded "Yeah, she hasn't a concussion, and she hasn't got any bleeding, so you can take her home now,"

May nodded and looked at him "Thank you,"

"Of course,"

May gently grabbed the girls arms and wrapped them around her neck and lifted her from under her knees - bridal style.

"I'll help you with the door," Phil said as she carried her out to the car. It was dark out, and it was starting to get quite cold. So May turned on the heater as soon as she put Daisy in the car "Give her some aspirin when she wakes up, and make sure she drinks lots of water, she's gonna feel it tomorrow," he explained.

May nodded her thanks to him, not really wanting to say it a third time. He smiled at her, his blue eyes shining under the lights of the parking lot.

"Until next time, Detective," he smiled, and turned around to walk back to the hospital.

Jesus Christ that man was a dork!

May smiled slightly as she climbed into the car, starting the engine.

"He likes you," the 'sleeping' for next to her mumbled.

"He's a dork," May replied, driving out of the parking lot.

"Who likes you,"

"Go to sleep,"


	3. Chapter 3

Daisy woke up in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. She wish she could say that the last 24 hours have been the strangest of her life, but that just wasn't true. She'd been in and out of hospital in the last 15 years than anyone would ever know.

She brought her hand up to her shoulder, sliding it under the shirt to trace the small round scars that only she knew were there. The scars that told her she wasn't good enough, that she was a waste of space. She could still hear his voice.

Daisy shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about it, and grabbed her laptop out of her backpack. If Mike was killed by Centipede, she was sure as hell gonna find out what that meant.

May jolted awake - that wasn't unusual. She rubbed her temples and threw the covers off, swinging over the side of the bed. She needed water, or whisky, or something.

She stood up and made her way out of her bedroom and into the kitchen of her apartment, grabbing a glass of water. She lent against the bench top, clearing the images from her mind when she heard a small gasp from Daisy's room. May shook her head...the guest room.

May didn't waste any time in racing in there, quickly knocking twice before opening it. The girl was on the bed, her eyes wide with tears, a hand covering her mouth like she might be sick as she looked at the laptop screen in front of her.

"Daisy?" May asked quietly, inching her way over to her, making the girl look up at her "What's wrong?"

Daisy didn't say anything, she just turned the laptop screen so May could see it.

It was sickening. Men and women being strapped down, experimented on - screaming and struggling. They noticed Mike Peterson on one end, metal armor covering 50% of his entire body.

May quickly grabbed the laptop and closed it "Where did you find this?"

Daisy shook her head, tears streaming down her face "Mike...what did they do to him?"

May sat down on the bed next to her, placing a hand on the girl's arm, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk until she calmed down. After a few moments, Daisy's tears subsided and May led her out onto the couch, saying something about making some tea for the both of them.

Daisy curled her knees up to her chest, her arms hugging them close as May came back with two mugs of tea. She handed one to the teenager and sat down on the other end of the couch, her feet tucked under her.

"What were they doing to him?" asked Daisy, looking down at the hot liquid in her hands.

"I don't know," May simply replied "But I need you to tell me where you found that video,"

Daisy's eyes snapped up to May's, expecting to find anger or disappointment, or even disgust - but there wasn't any, just comfort "It was an encrypted file in the Cybertech database,"

May raised an eyebrow "Would you like to share how you got into that database?"

Daisy winced slightly "Accidental clicking?"

May gave her a look that told her she wasn't buying any of it "I recognized the brand on Mike's prosthesis - his leg - it was made by Cybertech, I just wanted to know what happened to him, that's all," she looked down, almost ashamed.

"By hacking into their private servers? Daisy, that's a federal offence," May said, but the girl just looked more ashamed.

"But what about Mike?"

"I'll handle it,"

"But-"

"I'll handle it."

Daisy looked up at May, she left no room for argument - not that she dared to anyway.

"What were you doing up this late anyway?" May asked her.

Daisy shrugged "Monsters from my past," she said simply, before looking back at the woman, whose face was unreadable "What about you?"

"Monsters from my past."

* * *

The next morning, May got up early to do her morning Tai Chi. The sun was only just starting to rise, the birds were still quiet, and everyone was still asleep - that was the best time to do it.

Her eyes closed, she didn't even think about what she was doing anymore, her mind was just blank. She'd been practicing for about half an hour before she heard the soft pitter patter of feet. She fought the urge to smile, it reminded her of when her kids got up with her (before they were teenagers anyway).

"Couldn't sleep?" May asked, not pausing or even opening her eyes for the girl.

"No," replied the soft voice, that's when May finally opened her eyes to see the girl take a seat at the bottom step, just watching her "You always do this Hafe-Fu?"

May's lip twitched ever so slightly, so slightly that Daisy didn't even see it "Every morning,"

"Why?"

"Clears my head,"

Daisy seemed to accept the answer as she just sat there on the bottom step of Melinda's apartment, just watching her for the next half an hour. The apartment was silent, and May thought she fell asleep a couple times, but every time May looked at her, the girl was just watching the way her body glided through the air.

"Are you hungry?" May asked her.

"No," Daisy replied.

"You need to eat," May said, walking past her, towards the kitchen.

"So that was a rhetorical question?" Daisy asked as she followed a few steps behind her.

"Pretty much," May replied "And besides, my daughter believes that a good breakfast can cure any type of hurt," the statement made Daisy smile, but it made her heart break a little too. She would never have anything like this again, and it was just a matter of time before May told her to go 'home'.

"So," May pulled her out of her thoughts "Pancakes or bacon and eggs?"

They ate in silence, a comfortable silence. May always believed that you didn't always need words to fill a space, just comfort. It worked with both of her kids, and it seemed to work with Daisy too.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be today?" May eventually asked.

Daisy shook her head "No," she replied "I mean I have school, but I think I'm gonna take the day off,"

"Are you now?" May asked, looking down at her plate as she ate.

"Well, yeah, I mean it's not like the orphanage really cares," Daisy responded. She didn't sound hurt or disappointed, it was just a fact to her.

May squinted slightly as the girl continued to eat "I have to go to work today," May said "And if you're not going to school, you can stay here,"

Daisy paused, looking up at the older woman "You're not kicking me out?"

"Why would I kick you out?"

"Because that's what people do," Daisy responded "It's just the way the world works,"

May sighed softly as she put her plate in the dishwasher and started for the stairs "Daisy, I'm not kicking you out,"

Before Daisy could respond, she was gone. May wasn't kicking her out? What was her endgame?

May was back downstairs in twenty minutes, having showered and gotten ready for work and was now on the phone "I'm asking for a favor, Andrew," she said into the phone "I know you have a busy schedule but I'm asking you as a friend," Daisy tried not to listen as May came closer "Thank you," and that's when she hung up and looked around the kitchen "You did the dishes?"

Daisy nodded "It was the least I could do," she shrugged before changing the subject "Who's Andrew?"

"Someone you're meeting at 4 o'clock this afternoon," May responded, making Daisy look quizzically at her "He's a psychiatrist, it might do you some good,"

"I don't need to see a shrink, I'm fine," Daisy said, only to have May look at her as she wrote down an address on a piece of paper "Honestly, I'm fine,"

May looked at her for a few more seconds before saying "You may think you're fine, but he can help you,"

"I don't need help!" Daisy exclaimed as May started to grab her keys and her bag.

"This isn't up for discussion," May responded as she grabbed the girls shoulders "He's cleared his schedule for you, you're going,"

Daisy didn't argue with her again, she just nodded and May let go "I'll be home later, make sure you get your ass to that appointment,"

Daisy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but couldn't help but smile as May was out of the apartment. No one has ever cared about her enough to make her see a therapist, and no one has ever trusted her alone in their home before.

She was not going to screw this up, she already decided. Oh, who was she kidding? May was eventually gonna send her back to the orphanage, like they always did. And besides, May already had two of her own kids, two kids that were her own blood, she wasn't going to take on a random kid that she wasn't even related to.

Daisy walked over to the wall where there were picture frames hanging and furrowed her eyebrows. She noticed a family photo, it made her tear up a little. There May stood in the park as a boy had jumped on her shoulders, and a girl swung in her arms. Oh how she had been wrong, these kids were definitely not May's blood. There was not a Chinese bone in their bodies, but they sure were a family.

So maybe Daisy was wrong about the whole full-blood family thing, but she wasn't wrong about May sending her back. Even if May were to adopt another kid, it wouldn't be a kid like her. She was too worthless, too undisciplined - especially for a controlled woman like May.

May invited her into her home, gave her a bed and even made her an incredible breakfast that she'd never eaten before in her entire life. She would stay as long as May would have her, and it might hurt more than it normally would when she sends her back, but maybe that was just the price she was willing to pay.

* * *

"So, how's the kid?" the was the first thing out of Maria's mouth when May walked in the bullpen "I'm assuming you took her home with you,"

"What gives you that idea?" asked May, sitting down at her desk.

"Because that's what you do," Maria replied, shrugging "You can't help yourself,"

"She's...coping," May replied "I made an appointment with Andrew for her today,"

"You think she'll go?" asked Maria, swinging back and forth in her chair.

"I hope so," May simply replied.

"Are you planning on keeping this one as well?" Maria asked, raising an eyebrow at her, making May pause and look at the younger detective.

"Don't you have something better to do?" May asked her "Like your job?"

Maria smirked as another figure walked into the room and slapped a folded sheet of paper on May's desk triumphantly "Who's the man?"

"You got the warrant?" May asked the talk, dark, handsome man in a three piece suit leaning on her desk, who just grinned at her "Wilson, you're the man," she said, leaping out of her chair "Come on, Hill, let's go, we'll call the others from the car,"

* * *

"You didn't answer my question before," Maria responded as they drove, bells and whistles to Cybertech "Are you keeping the kid?"

"She's not a pair of jeans, you can't just throw her out," May responded "Not that others got that memo,"

"So, is that a yes?" Maria asked, making May glare at her. She pulled her hands up in defense, not wanting to get on her bad side today "What tipped you off to Cybertech?"

May paused slightly "Daisy,"

Maria raised her eyebrows "Care to explain?"

"No."

Maria shook her head, knowing that was all she was going to give her and pulled out her phone, calling a number "Morse, we need you and Barton at Cybertech, we're about to rip that place apart,"

* * *

The four detectives lead the search that tore through Cybertech. They confiscated computers, hard-drives, files, the lot. They found a locked door that led to a basement with exactly what was shown on the videos. Men, women, children, strapped down and experimented on - the kind of experiments that classified as torture.

They managed to get them all out of there, and everyone was arrested. The company was brought to it's knees. The reason a company like Cybertech succeeds is the fact that they document everything - that also happened to be their greatest downfall.

They had been there all day, tearing through one of the biggest technology corporations in the world. It was already 5:30 when May looked at her watch, and she needed to go home.

"Go," Maria said to her as she saw her sigh slightly at her watch, making her snap her head up at her partner "I've got this, go home," Go to her.

May nodded a thanks to her partner and took off back to her apartment "Daisy?" she called out, chucking her keys in the bowl by the door, walking towards the kitchen to see Daisy asleep at the counter with her laptop.

May let a small smile cover her face at the sight as she puled the laptop away to close it, only to stop when she noticed the page it was on.

"NYPD Recruitment?" May whispered, her eyebrows furrowing. Daisy started to stir, and May closed the laptop and took a step back, as not to alarm the girl.

"May?" Daisy mumbled, rubbing her eyes slightly, looking up at the woman in front of her "What time is it?"

"Just hit 6," May replied "How's your head?"

"Sore," Daisy replied and May turned around to one of the cabinets, pulling out some aspirin and grabbing a glass of water before handing it to her "Thanks,"

"Did you go see Andrew today?" May asked as the girl downed the pills with the water.

Daisy nodded "Yeah,"

May nodded in return "Good," before turning back to the fridge and grabbing some take-out menus and placing them on the counter "You hungry?"

Daisy frowned "That's it?" she asked her "You're not gonna ask me what we talked about?"

May shook her head, taking off her jacket and chucking it over the back of the stool as she walked around the counter "Not my place," she simply said "You'll tell me when you're ready," Daisy just eyed her for a moment before May gestured to the menus "You pick,"

Daisy looked down at the menus, trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach, pushing it down "Do you like Chinese?" Daisy asked her. May just paused and looked her dead in the eyes, making Daisy burst out laughing "Sorry," Daisy continued to laugh as she read through the menu, making May smile to herself.

The food came half an hour after they ordered, and both sat on the couch eating, once again in silence, until Daisy spoke up "Did you catch the person who killed Mike?" May just nodded in return "What happened?"

"I handled it," she replied simply, which seemed to be good enough for Daisy as she continued eating her food.

That's when May's phone rang, and May picked it up "May,"

_"You know, that's such an impersonal greeting,"_

May paused for a moment "Doctor Coulson?" she asked, making the teenager's head snap up to look at her.

_"I knew I'd left an impression on you,"_

"What can I help you with, Coulson?" May said, completely ignoring his statements.

_"You see, when I told you I was going to ask you out, I wasn't messing around,"_

"Is that right?" May squinted slightly as she listened to the voice on the other end.

_"Absolutely, so what do you say? Dinner? Tomorrow night?"_

May didn't respond, she just paused.

_"You're makin' a guy nervous here, Detective,"_

"...Fine," May replied.

_"8 o'clock?"_

"8 o'clock," she repeated.

_"Perfect! See you tomorrow, Detective,"_

And then, they hung up. May didn't have to look at her to know that Daisy was grinning like an idiot "I suggest you wipe that smile off your face, kid,"

"Have you got a date?" the teenager asked her, her voice getting excited. May just glared at her, making Daisy squeal with delight as she jumped up off the couch "I knew it! I knew he liked you!"

Daisy started for the stairs, making May furrow her eyebrows and call after her "Where do you think you're going?"

"We're picking out an outfit!" she called back as she disappeared up the stairs, making May roll her eyes and begrudgingly followed her up.

* * *

"Why is everything black?" Daisy looked at the wardrobe with horror "You don't own anything else,"

"There's a red top in there somewhere," May replied falling down onto her bed gracefully.

Daisy gave her a look that told her she couldn't be serious, May just shrugged, making Daisy roll her eyes.

"I get that this is your whole badass aesthetic and all, but you've gotta mix it up," said Daisy "You own like three dresses, and they're all black,"

"I don't dress up,"

"Not even when you go undercover?" Daisy asked her.

"I hate undercover,"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a little shorter than the others but I'm working on another as we speak. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!!

Daisy and Melinda spent the entire night in Melinda's bedroom, much to Melinda's dismay. No matter how many times May tried to get her out of her wardrobe, Daisy wasn't giving up until she found something that May could wear. She ended up picking a dress, but Daisy wasn't happy with it. It was a horror show, and Daisy ended up falling asleep on top of a pile of strewn clothes inside Melinda's walk-in robe.

Once she knew Daisy wasn't waking up, Melinda carried her back to her room and went to bed herself. The day had been rough, taking down Cybertech was one thing, but spending the entire time worrying about the teenager downstairs was another.

She always worried about her kids, and they were both fearless when they went out into the world - but this was a whole other type of worry. She was worried about how damaged Daisy really was, whether she would ever be able to open up and let other people in. Whether she wanted to go back to the orphanage to protect herself from whatever pain she's been inflicted with in the past.

She knew she shouldn't - but Melinda didn't want that girl going anywhere else. She wanted to be able to hear that girl call Melinda's apartment 'home'...with her.

Daisy had been tossed aside her entire life, and no one should ever go through their entire childhood feeling that way. And she could see it - she could see the resignation and the acceptance that she'd never be more than worthy.

May had only known this girl for three days, but she could feel it. The bond. The bond she shares with her other kids. The one she even shares with Maria. The bond that says she would do anything for them and she would protect them at all costs. It's her biggest strength. But it's also her biggest downfall.

The next morning, Melinda got up to do her morning Tai Chi - and almost like clockwork - half an hour later, Daisy was sitting on the bottom step, just watching. It was a comfort to them both - Melinda knowing that Daisy was safe for the moment, and Daisy seeing that May hadn't gone anywhere.

Once again, Melinda made breakfast with minimal amounts of talking. Melinda knew that if Daisy wanted to talk to her about something, she would when she was ready.

"Mom!" a yell suddenly sounded from the front door, the same second it opened.

Melinda and Daisy both looked up at the voice, but Daisy's eyes were trained on May, who was halfway out of the kitchen already. Melinda smiled, just as a tall, handsome boy came around the corner to envelope the smaller woman in a giant hug.

"Trip," May sighed with relief, holding onto her son for a moment longer "You're home,"

"Yeah, I've finished my mid-terms and I thought I'd come surprise you," he smiled, and looked over at the teenage girl sitting at the counter "Hi, I'm Trip,"

"Daisy," she responded, almost meekly, waving her hand at him slightly.

"It's nice to meet you," he beamed.

Daisy was surprised. This kid was nothing like May. He was openly friendly, and smiled...like all the time.

"You too," she replied and gestured to the frame on the wall "I recognize you from the photos,"

Trip chuckled "Yeah, we look like an odd bunch," he replied, heading straight to the fridge, looking at May teasingly "And we wouldn't have it any other way,"

May rolled her eyes before she saw her son take out the milk carton from the fridge, but didn't reach for a glass "Don't even think about it," she narrowed her eyes at him, making him grin at her, reaching for a glass.

"You're so predictable," he replied before standing on the other side of the counter to Daisy "So, what's your deal?"

"Antoine!" May scolded her oldest, making him put his hands up in defense.

"What? It's just a question!"

Daisy laughed slightly "Its okay," she said and shrugged "I'm just your average orphan who's been in more foster homes than you've had birthdays, who's now staying with a cop who could beat my ass,"

Trip chuckled slightly "Well, Daisy, you're not alone,"

"You've been in foster homes before?" asked Daisy, leaning forward on her elbows.

"A few," Trip nodded "That's how I ended up here, actually,"

Daisy didn't know exactly what that meant, but she just nodded. She knew first hand it was hard for foster kids to open up about their homes - but Trip seemed to be handling it.

May didn't interact with Trip very differently than she had her - she was less gentle, and less cautious. But that was probably because she trusted Trip, and not Daisy. She was okay with that, she understood it, and she didn't blame anyone who didn't.

Before May left for work, Trip asked to take her out to lunch, and invited Daisy along too. Daisy declined, not wanting to intrude on their mother-son bonding time. Especially since Trip's been away at college. May took her dress and some shoes for her date, knowing she probably wouldn't have time after work to come all the way home to get ready, so Phil was picking her up at the station.

So Daisy stayed in the apartment whilst May went to work, and Trip went to meet some of his old high school friends. She didn't really know what to do with herself, she would normally be at school, or be doing chores. but she didn't know if she belonged at the orphanage school anymore, and she didn't want to touch something of May's that she shouldn't.

What was she doing? What was she doing here? She didn't belong here. She didn't belong with these people. These good, kindhearted people. A family of jokers and over-achievers. She definitely didn't belong here.

* * *

May sat on the park bench with her son, as they scoffed down New York hot dogs. She asked about college, and Trip gave long answers. It's the way she liked it. Being able to hear about her son's life on the other side of the country, how he was happy. That's all she's ever wanted for her kids.

When the college talk stopped and Melinda blocked questions about work (like she always did), Trip looked at her sideways "So, Daisy...what is her deal?"

"She's had a rough week," Melinda responded.

"And life, I'd imagine," Trip commented, making May agree softly "Is she staying?"

"I don't know,"

"Do you want her to stay?"

"It's not that simple,"

"I'll take that as a yes,"

"Trip..."

"What are you so worried about?" he asked her.

"I've got you and your sister, and I'm happy with you two," May responded, simply.

"That's not an answer," Trip replied "You worried you can't trust her?"

May almost glared at her son "No." _Of course not._

"Then, what's the problem?" he asked her in exasperation. When May looked away from him, down at her lap, he eased back a bit and lowered his voice "You're worried she doesn't want to be a part of our family,"

He was spot on. Daisy had been tossed aside so many times by so-called 'families', that she may never even want one. If that's her perception of family, no one could blame her for not wanting it.

"Mom," Trip looked over at her until she finally looked back over at him "You want the kid?" May stayed silent, and Trip smiled at her "Then get the kid."

* * *

"So I hear you've got a date tonight..." Maria casually said as they mulled over paperwork at the last part of their day.

May paused for a split second before continuing "And how did you hear that?"

"A little birdie," Maria smirked when she felt her partner glare at her.

"Is this little birdies name Antoine?" May asked her, making Maria's eyes snap up.

"Trip's back?" Maria asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Melinda narrowed her eyes at her partner "Daisy..."

Maria grinned slightly "She called me this morning, luckily I was still home, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to bring your outfit,"

May snorted "I'm not wearing your clothes,"

"Oh yes you are," Maria refuted "Because I've seen your wardrobe, and you might look badass on the job, but your personal wardrobe is really a let-down,"

May rolled her eyes "I already have an outfit,"

"Well I have a better one," Maria responded, not missing a beat as she continued with the file in front of her.

May paused momentarily "Daisy really called you?"

"Yep," Maria replied and took a beat before looking back up at the other woman "When I asked how she got my number, all she said was to not ask questions,"

May's lip twitched for a split second as she continued on with her paperwork. Maria watched her partner and bit back a smile, she knew that look. She had those looks with both her kids - she'd teased her about that look.

But instead, she just continued with her paperwork and casually said "She's devious, I like her,"

* * *

May wore the dress that Maria brought for her...after May made multiple threats and 'promises' towards Maria, who just grinned at her the entire time. The dress was silver, with long sleeves and a deep cut at the neck. She'd convinced Maria to go home, and not spy on her date as he arrived, thank God - Maria was always extremely protective - and vice versa.

May and Maria had been best friends since the academy. Maria was a few years younger than May, but they'd instantly formed that bond.

She lingered by the underground parking lot, hoping no one would see her (except the few that already had) as she waited for her date. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long, because Phil was early. She watched him pull up in a bright red Chevy Corvette - she would never admit it, but she was a little impressed at the red beauty.

Phil approached her, and Melinda could tell he was nervous - it was a little endearing. He smiled nervously "Detective," he started, shifting on his feet, not really knowing what to do before he quickly pecked her on the cheek, making her give a smile "You look beautiful,"

"Thank you," she replied softly "You don't look half bad yourself, Doctor,"

He smiled and stood there for a moment, just looking at her, before he shook himself and led her to his car, opening the passenger door for her. She thanked him as she climbed in, and waited for him to run around to hop in the driver's side. The car smelt like Phil's cologne, which she would never admit that she enjoyed quite fondly.

Phil jumped in the driver's seat and they drove towards the restaurant "So, how's Daisy doing?" he asked her.

"She's doing okay, I think," she responded "The swelling's gone down, so she's just keeping the cut bandaged,"

"Good, that's good," Phil responded, nodding "And has she been sleeping?"

Melinda paused for a moment, wondering how to answer "That question's a little more complicated,"

Phil looked across at her, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, but didn't press the matter any further. They were at the restaurant in ten minutes, they rode in silence for most of it, but it was more comfortable than awkward.

After pulling up to the valet, Phil quickly opened the door for his date before handing the keys to the young man in a navy blue uniform, warning him in the process. Something told Melinda that no one else other than Phil drives that car.

Turning back to Melinda, he grinned, holding his elbow out for her "Shall we?"

May rolled her eyes, but smiled at the same time, looping her arm through his. She had no idea how this night was going to go, but for once, she wasn't as hesitant to find out.


	5. Chapter 5

The restaurant was quiet, but not so quiet that other people could hear what they were talking about. They had a window seat, and the restaurant was mostly lit with fairy lights. A candle flickered between them, and a single rose stood in a tall, thin vase.

They ordered wine, and then their food, and the waiter disappeared to leave them to themselves. Surprising even herself, Melinda was the first one to speak "So, what kind of Doctor are you anyway?"

"Pediatric surgeon," he responded and shrugged "What can I say? I like kids,"

Melinda smiled warmly at that "You have any?"

Phil nodded "Two, Natasha and Wanda, they're 17 and 6," he smiled at the thought of them "How about you? Is Daisy your only one?"

Melinda hesitated for a moment "Daisy..." she sighed slightly "She's not mine," Phil looked at her quizzically "She's been staying with me the past few days,"

"Oh," Phil nodded "For how long?"

Melinda shrugged slightly "I don't know," she responded "I was thinking of asking her to stay, actually,"

Phil smiled at that "Well, for what it's worth...Daisy seems like a really great kid,"

Melinda returned his smile, making his heart beat faster than his 'Doctor-side' was comfortable with "Yeah, she is," she replied "And I have two others, Antoine and Jemma, I adopted them three years apart, nearly a decade ago now,"

Phil grinned at her "I knew you were a bleeding heart,"

"Is that right?" Melinda responded, a small smile resting on her face as he nodded.

"Oh, absolutely," Phil nodded "Cool, icy exterior, warm and fuzzy on the inside,"

Melinda narrowed her eyes at him playfully "Take it back,"

Phil's grin widened as he leaned in slightly and whispered daringly "Never,"

For the next few hours, they talked, they laughed, they ate. Melinda shared more with him than she was planning, though still keeping a lot to her chest, he found out more about her - and for some reason, she wasn't worried.

She slowly let her guard down during the night, smiling more frequently, telling stories of her childhood and her kids. She found out a lot about Phil, too. Like Wanda is his biologically, but Natasha was adopted when she was 12. Phil didn't give her much a of a backstory to Natasha, and Melinda sensed there was one there, but she didn't need to know the details. She'd been through this before. so she definitely understood.

Phil found out that Melinda was a competitive fighter before she joined the NYPD, she never said how good she was, but Phil had the feeling that she was better than she was letting on. She was well into her twenties when she gave it up to join the force, saying that she just wasn't getting the satisfaction she'd been getting before. Something told him there was more to it than that, but he didn't push it.

Slowly, the restaurant had cleared out, and they were one of the last ones there. Phil looked around, noticing the wait staff getting antsy, before turning back to Melinda "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Melinda smiled "Sure,"

Taking him by surprise, it didn't take as much of a fight to get Melinda to let him take care of the bill. She still argued with him for a couple of moments, but surprisingly let up. He grinned at her triumphantly and she rolled her eyes in return.

Phil guided Melinda out of the restaurant, and they started to walk down the street instead of getting Phil's car right away. They walked in silence for a few beats before Phil had the courage to cover her hand with his, holding it gently. She looked down at the two hands clasped briefly, but didn't pull away, she just looked ahead.

"So when do you think you'll ask Daisy to stay?" Phil asked, making her shrug a single shoulder slightly.

"I don't know," Melinda replied "I don't want to scare her off,"

Phil snorted slightly "If you haven't scared her off already, there's no way you could now,"

Melinda punched him in the arm, making him yelp slightly, though smiled nonetheless "I'm serious," she responded and shook her head "I mean, I know how to deal with teenagers, I got lucky with mine...but they came to me when they were still young, and Daisy..."

"She's already seen the worst of 'family'," Phil added when Melinda trailed off, making her nod in agreement "Well, I can't tell you how to do this, but what I know from Natasha, is you have to make them see that you're not going anywhere, that you're not like the others, that you _want_ her,"

Melinda looked at him as he spoke, watching him actually care, but not intrude. They walked for another half an hour, and Phil did most of the talking - not that she was complaining at all. She watched him ever time he spoke, the way his eyes would light up when he would talk about his kids or his job. The way he got excited at the little things, and the way every now and again he would get a little bounce in his step when he was excited.

The man had definitely grown on her, especially since he first annoyed her at the hospital. The man she thought was arrogant, actually turned out to be the opposite. He was kindhearted and easily excited, and he was good. He was good - leading with his heart most of the time and always doing what was right. That's what she got out of this.

As they started to walk back towards Phil's car, she stopped walking, making him stop and turn around with worry all over his face "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She just smiled and removed her hand from his, making him look down at the loss of contact, confused. That's when he felt her step closer and pull him down gently by the lapels of his jacket, pressing her lips to his. It was gentle and over too soon, but it left him stuttering as she looked into his eyes, smiling.

"What-uh...what-was...what was that for?" he eventually sputtered out, making her smile.

"Just for being you," she responded simply, which didn't really give him much clarity, but he would take it nonetheless.

He smiled back at her and lent down, capturing her lips again. This time he brought his hand up to her hair, running his hand back through it before resting it at the back of her head, his other hand coming up to rest on her lower back.

They stood like that for another minute, only pulling apart when a random whistle from across the street sounded at them, making them both laugh.

Phil slid his fingers down Melinda's arm before linking his fingers through hers "Come on, let me take you home,"

* * *

"How was your date, Old Man?" his daughter grinned as he walked back through the door of his house. She was leaning up against the back of the couch as he walked into the living room and kissed her on the cheek.

"It was fine," he responded, not being able to help smiling.

"From that dopey grin on your face, I'd say that it was more than fine," Natasha responded as she followed him into the kitchen "So, I take it you like her,"

"Yeah," he smiled at his daughter "I do,"

"Aw, I'm so proud of you, Dad," she hugged him and Phil knew there was more sarcasm "Going out into the world like a big boy..." and there it was "You're gonna make me cry,"

Phil rolled his eyes as he poured himself a glass of water and Natasha jumped up on the counter, her legs swinging slightly "Did Wanda go down easy tonight?" he asked her, taking off his jacket and throwing it over the back of one of the kitchen stools.

Natasha nodded "Yeah, she was pretty beat after we played that dancing Wii game," she replied "She was out by, like, 7,"

Phil nodded and smiled at her "Thanks for watching her tonight,"

Natasha returned his smile "You can repay me by telling me all about this woman you courted tonight,"

Phil looked at her strangely "Did you really just use the word 'courted'?"

"Yes," Natasha nodded "Stop changing the subject, what her name?"

"Her name's Melinda," he replied, rolling up his sleeves "She's a detective, and a pretty great person,"

Natasha smirked, knowing he was already falling for this woman. He deserved someone other than her and Wanda in his life, someone to make him happy and to kick his ass when it needed kicking. But her father had a big heart, a bigger heart than anyone she's ever known, that's why she loves him. She didn't really know anything about this woman, and Natasha didn't care that she's a cop - if she hurts her father, there would be hell to pay.

Phil was extremely trusting, but one of the effects of foster care - she was not. A person needs to earn her trust, and it's extremely hard to get it.

"Is she good with kids?" asked Natasha.

Phil gave her a look "Natasha..." he warned.

"What? I'm just saying..." she defended "If she's gonna be around this family, she's gotta be good with Wanda,"

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it," Phil said "But right now, we're not there,"

"Does she even have any of her own kids?" Natasha asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Natasha, you know better than to validate a woman based on whether she has children or not," Phil scolded, making her sigh and sag her shoulders.

"I know, that was crossing a line," Natasha said, and Phil knew that was her version of an apology "I just don't want you or Wanda to get hurt,"

Phil leaned forward and kissed his daughters forehead "And I appreciate you every day for it," he gave her a small, warm smile "I can't guarantee that this will work out, and I can't guarantee that none of us will get hurt, but I didn't raise either of you to hide from going after what makes you happy because of fear," Phil told her "Take Audrey for instance, I thought we were going to be together forever, and then she left and everything changed. We all got hurt when she left, it hurt so much, but not once did I ever regret it, did I ever regret being all in, and I still don't,"

Natasha's eyes started to burn, but she quickly pushed away the tears as Phil continued "I have some of my best memories from being with Audrey, I got a little girl out of it, and you got a sister," he gave a sad smile "It was hard on all of us, but no way would I ever change it,"

Natasha leaned forward and hugged her father tight, Phil wrapping his arms around her with the same force. They stayed like that for a few moments and Phil whispered "I love you so much,"

"I love you too, Dad," she replied and pulled back, wiping away the tear that was definitely _not_ running down her cheek.

"Alright, it's time for you to get to bed," Phil told her, pulling her off the counter and leading her out of the kitchen to the staircase.

"You know I'll kick her ass if she hurts you, right?" Natasha said nonchalantly.

"I know, Honey," he replied, shaking his head at his daughter with a smile as she walked ahead of him up the stairs. He meant what he told her, he wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

Melinda managed to eventually get inside when Phil dropped her home. She was just thankful that she didn't drive to work that morning, otherwise she would've been stuck without a car. Although, not that she really needed it in New York, especially when she lived so close to work.

She walked through her apartment, throwing her purse and her keys on the kitchen bench as she spotter her son on the couch watching TV.

"Well don't you look nice," he said "Hot date?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," she responded, making him smile.

"Good for you," said Trip "You need someone special in your life,"

Melinda smirked as she walked around the counter and towards him "I already have a few 'someone special's in my life," she said, bending down to kiss his temple.

Trip rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless "We don't count, Mom," he replied.

Melinda chuckled as she scratched the top of his head softly "So, what did you end up doing tonight anyway?"

"I went out and caught up with Mack," he replied "He's an engineer for the Air Force,"

"I heard," May replied "His brother's in his Senior Year in high school,"

Trip whistled "I remember when that kid was a toddler,"

Melinda chuckled at him "Yeah, well now you know how I feel," Trip beamed up at his mother, making her smirk back at him "Where's Daisy?"

"She was already in bed when I got home," Trip replied.

Melinda nodded and walked towards the guest bedroom that Daisy's been staying in and opened door as quietly as she could. She peeked in, but she couldn't see much, so she opened the door further.

Melinda frowned, the bed was made and all of Daisy's stuff was gone "Trip!" she called out as she turned the light on and walked into the room, noticing a note on the pillow.

She picked it up, and read as Trip came running into the room "What the hell?" he muttered "Mom, where's Daisy?"

She didn't answer for a few moments, afraid that her voice would catch in her throat. Her heart had dropped, and her feet wouldn't move. She read the note over and over and over again until she felt Trip put a hand on her shoulder, eventually making her answer.

_"She's gone."_


	6. Chapter 6

She had no idea where she was going. She liked to think she knew New York City pretty well, but she was in a part of town that she'd never been before, and she had no idea what direction she was even going. It was dark, and it was getting cold out. She pulled her hood up over her head and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.

Daisy knew she had to leave that apartment, that family. She was only intruding, and even though she said she would stay for however long May would have her, she knew she couldn't do that. She was getting too close, and whenever she got too close, that's when it hurt the most.

If someone looked at May from the outside, they probably would've thought that she wasn't the mothering type - and to some degree, they were right. May was nothing like your average mother. She didn't push, or get angry when you didn't tell her things. She didn't blame the tiniest things on her, and she definitely didn't hit her.

May was surprisingly gentle, and Daisy knew she would kick your ass if you screwed up, and only when necessary. Daisy could've used someone like her growing up, to protect her from all the shit that she went through. She didn't need her to be her 'mom', but having her there would've been nice.

Just these thoughts alone were dangerous, she was getting in over her head, and she knew she would drown. So she pushed them out of her head and kept walking until she found something familiar.

The walked for what felt like hours, until she found herself of the street of St Agnes Orphanage. She paused outside the house, just looking at it. This was her home, at least for the next three years anyway. She already thought she accepted that, until she met May. Then she realized just how wrong she was, that just made her angry.

Everything would have been fine if she hadn't have met May. She would've just kept on living in the orphanage, fine with her life. The nuns cared about her enough, and Elizabeth cared about her too. Elizabeth has always cared about her, always telling her that she was worth something more.

She was the first one to start calling Daisy by that name, she embraced it. Elizabeth was the closest thing she had to a mother, and that was fine. She should've just stayed here, and then she would've never thought that there was something better for her - that maybe she deserved something more.

But she was wrong. Again.

She stood out the front of the house for a few more moments before pulling out her keys and walking up the steps to the front door. She unlocked it slowly, as to not wake any of the other kids. Elizabeth would still be up, she always was. She was like an owl, only she was awake during the day too.

She opened the door as quietly as she could, trying not to make a fuss. Her eyes were red, but she wasn't crying anymore. Daisy made her way up the stairs, skipping the step she knew creaked. Once she made it to her room, Elizabeth was waiting for her at the door.

Daisy paused, not really knowing what to do, but apparently Elizabeth did as she closed the distance and pulled the girl in for a gentle hug. That's when she broke. The tears came back to haunt her as she sobbed silently into the older woman's shoulder.

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She didn't need to anymore. This happened so many times that she knew exactly what to do. Daisy didn't like talking, and eventually Elizabeth became okay with that.

It broke her heart to think that no one would want this girl. She'd known her almost her entire life, and every time she got thrown back to the orphanage, Daisy would be less hurt - like she was just expecting it.

This one was bad though, Elizabeth knew that. She never let her hug her for this long, and Daisy hadn't willingly cried in front of her for years. She had no idea what happened over the last few days, but Elizabeth knew that Daisy had started to hope - and whenever Daisy started to hope, she wound up getting hurt.

* * *

Melinda just stood in the kitchen, motionless. She did that, and Trip knew all too well not to force her to talk.

"Do you know where she would go?" Trip asked softly, making Melinda shrug slightly.

"Back to the orphanage, I'm guessing," May replied, also guessing that Daisy preferred the orphanage to here. Not that she could blame her, May wasn't really the warm, gooey mother type that kids dream of - but she likes to think she did okay with the other two.

"Are you okay?" Trip asked, but Melinda didn't respond, she just stood there silently "Maybe you should go find her,"

"She doesn't want to be found," May replied softly, willing her voice not to waiver.

"You don't know that," Trip said "Maybe she just wanted to space,"

"She got scared, Antoine," May responded, shaking her head "I don't blame her," she said quietly "I wouldn't want me as a mother either,"

"Hey!" Trip scolded forcefully as he started towards her "Don't you ever say that again!" he ended up standing next to her, but she didn't look at him, she just looked down at her hands on the counter "You are the best mom Jemma and I could ever possibly ask for!"

His voice was a mix of angry and confusion. Like he was mad at her for even thinking such a thing, but confused as to how she thought that in the first place.

Melinda didn't respond, just nodded, Trip knew that she didn't believe him though. Because she just walked past him to the stairs, walking to her bedroom.

Trip sighed, shaking his head. The last time he had ever seen her like this was when Jemma screamed that she hated her and ran out of the house. Of course Jemma didn't mean it, but May took it to heart - Trip knew she never really had confidence in herself to be the perfect mother.

Which, in itself was ridiculous, because they never wanted her to be perfect - they just wanted her to be there - which she always was. May was fiercely protective when it came to her children, Trip knew it, even though he could handle himself, Jemma had always hated confrontation.

Trip sighed and pulled out his phone, knowing that right now there was nothing he could say to make her feel better "Hey, Hermione," he said into the phone "I think Mom could really use you right now,"

* * *

Trip left May alone for the rest of the night, knowing that he would only make things worse if he tried to get her to talk to him. So he got up the next morning to join in with Tai Chi, he knew that made her feel better - and without fail, she was up at 5 am, her eyes closed, her body movements fluid.

May carried on with her morning like any other day, and Trip knew that was a coping technique. She made Trip pancakes, that being his favorite, an they ate in...sort of silence. Trip started talking about random things, like how weird the idea of eggs are.

"Like who thought one day that eatin' a big ass, round chicken poop would be a good idea?" he ranted, pretty much to himself at this point "It's the same with milk! What, someone just went up to a cow one day and thought it would be a good idea to start suckin' on a cow titty?!"

Not even a crack. Usually when Trip starts to rant about something crazy, she cracks a smirk or rolls her eyes at him - it was a sign of affection. But he got nothing, and he knew she was not as okay as she was letting on.

When Melinda's phone rang, she didn't even look at the caller when she answered "May,"

"Hey, Mum," an English accent responded on the other end.

"Jemma," Melinda replied, her voice full of affection, and Trip smiled slightly, knowing she could get her to crack "How are you, Xiǎo yā?"

"I'm fine. Did you know that a flight from Massachusetts to New York is only 36 minutes? I never noticed before because of my crippling aerophobia, but if you distract yourself enough, it goes by super quickly..."

Melinda squared her shoulders, furrowing her eyebrows "You're in New York?"

"Yeah, but can you unlock the door? I seem to have left my key back in my dorm,"

Melinda smiled as she ran straight to the front door of the apartment, swinging it wide open to see her 15 year old standing with a suitcase and her phone to her ear "Hi, Mum,"

Melinda hung up the phone and pulled her daughter in for a tight hug "My God, I've missed you,"

"You too," she replied, not pulling apart "Do I smell pancakes?"

Melinda chuckled as she pulled her youngest inside the apartment "Yes, I made pancakes,"

As Jemma and Melinda rounded the corner to the kitchen Jemma dropped her suitcase and went straight to Trip "Antoine!"

Trip stood from the kitchen stool and wrapped his arms around his little sister "Hey, Hermione,"

Melinda watched her kids with a fond smile, they'd always gotten along. Just like Melinda, they were always protective of each other, especially Trip. He once threw a kid in a trashcan at school because he was making fun of Jemma's accent.

And Jemma once sent a bunch of photos to the wife of one of Trip's teacher because he called him stupid - which both Melinda and Jemma knew he was definitely not. The entire school knew that Mr Garrett was cheating on his wife, but Jemma finally had photographic evidence - which she didn't hesitate to use blow up his marriage.

"Are you hungry, Xiǎo yā?" May asked her youngest duckling, making Jemma nod fervently as the two kids started to play attack each other with poking and punches "Háizi, zuò," _Little ones, sit._ Melinda said firmly, making the two stop fighting and they both sat on the stools as Melinda slid over more pancakes to Trip, and a stack for Jemma.

"So, what brings you home, Xiǎo jiāhuo?" Melinda asked her youngest, making Jemma shrug.

"I just wanted to come home," she said nonchalantly, making Melinda narrow her eyes.

"College is make you a better liar," Melinda said "I'm not sure I'm okay with that,"

Jemma beamed at her mother "Mum, I just wanted to see you,"

"That's not a lie," Trip added, mouth full of pancake.

"Don't think I don't know what's going on here," Melinda accused them "But right now I have to get ready for work, so I'll deal with you two later,"

As she ascended the stairs to go take a shower, she heard Jemma giggle, making her roll her eyes with a smile. Her kids were everything to her, and she did okay with them, right? They're not damaged and they're extremely smart - both of them will do great things with their lives. Although, that wasn't really thanks to her, they would do that anyway - but she did okay with them, right?

As Melinda stepped into her en suite to turn on the shower, she heard another loud giggle from downstairs and smiled. Yeah, she did okay with them.

* * *

Daisy was out of bed earlier than the orphanage was used to. 5:30 am. Elizabeth sighed, that was either a really good sign, or a really bad sign. Daisy could sleep her life away, that girl loved sleep so much that she's skipped breakfast before just to get an extra twenty minutes - and Daisy loved breakfast.

When Elizabeth got to the teenager's room, she was up, looking in the mirror are she tried some Mr Miyagi wax-on, wax-off business. Elizabeth had no idea what she was doing, but she wasn't going to stop her. Daisy was getting frustrated with herself, she could see that, but she had no idea what for, but Elizabeth left her to it.

Daisy was downstairs half an hour later, already dressed and ready. She ate breakfast in silence, and didn't say a word to the other kids. Michael and James ran up to her excitedly when they saw she was back, and she gave them a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and hugged them

Elizabeth knew Daisy would put on a brave face for the other kids - telling them that she had a sleepover with some friends, just so they wouldn't be upset.

After breakfast, Daisy helped with chores, even though both Sister Margaret and Elizabeth said she didn't have to. She insisted on it, in fact. Daisy went about everything the way she normally would, like it was just another regular day, it's what she did.

That afternoon, as Elizabeth approached Daisy's room to talk to her, she heard little voices coming from inside "Do you want us to stay here with you?" It was James. Oh, crap. James and Michael were leaving the orphanage on Saturday, a family wanted to adopt them, but no one had told Daisy that yet.

"No, of course not," Daisy responded softly, obviously the boys had broken the news to her.

"But won't you be sad?" Michael asked.

Elizabeth heard Daisy sigh "For a while," she responded honestly "But as long as you two are safe, and you're happy - then I'm happy too,"

Elizabeth peeked her head in so she could see Daisy in between the two boys, pulling them in for a hug. As Daisy pulled back, she held onto their little hands as she crouched in front of them.

"But I want you two to promise me something," Daisy continued "When you go out there in the world and you grow up big and strong, I want you to be good boys,"

"We're always good boys," Michael said proudly, making Daisy smile.

"I know you are," she replied "But I don't just mean doing chores and saying 'please' and 'thank you' - I mean always being honest, and doing the right thing, and treating people with respect - I want you to promise me that no matter where you are or who you're with that you'll be good boys,"

Both James and Michael nodded to her, but James was the one that spoke "We'll be good, we promise,"

Daisy smiled at them and pulled them in for another hug, before standing up and grabbing a hand each walking them out into the hallway "Okay, time for homework, little ones,"

Elizabeth quickly ducked around the corner, so Daisy didn't see her there. Daisy was always protective of the other children of the house - and how could she not be? She'd seen the worst of what people had to offer foster kids, so it was only natural for her to be protective.

* * *

"So, who's this Daisy?" Jemma asked her brother as they sat in the living room, playing Scrabble.

"A girl that broke Mom's heart," Trip replied, watching as Jemma laid a word down "Aglet? That's not a word in our language,"

" _Our_ language? You mean the _English_ language?" Jemma pointed out "First spoken in _England_?"

Trip shook his head and took out his phone and looked it up "Aglet: the hard plastic at the end of a shoelace," Jemma looked at him triumphantly "That's not fair, you used your British-ness against me!"

Jemma just shrugged as they continued to play "So, what happened?"

"She was staying here, and last night she just...left," Trip replied.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Mom thinks she's back at the orphanage," Trip replied, laying down a word and fist pumping the air "Triple-word score!"

Jemma rolled her eyes "Trip, if Mum wants Daisy, maybe we should go talk to her, get her to come back,"

Trip shook his head "Not gonna happen, Jem," he replied "This girl, she's not much of a talker,"

"Sounds familiar," Jemma quipped, making Trip snort.

"You have no idea,"

"So what do we do?" she asked her older brother, hoping he could make this all better.

Trip sighed "I don't know, kid,"

* * *

Maria knew that look - well, she knew all of May's looks, it's why they made such a great team. But this one she hated the most, because it meant Melinda was hurting.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" she asked her after they'd been in the squad room together for hours on end.

"Nothing's wrong," May didn't even look up, or stop reading the file in front of her.

"Bullshit," Maria responded, making May glance at her quickly "Does this have something to do with the kid?"

"No,"

"Bullshit," she repeated, but didn't push her to talk about it. Pushing her to talk about her feelings was one thing, but pushing her to talk about her kids was another "I don't know what's going on, but you want this kid, right?"

May didn't respond, which every one who knew May, knew that was a 'yes'.

"So get off your ass, and go get her, Detective,"

* * *

Maria was right, she needed to do something. She couldn't keep moping around all the time. She stood in front of St Agnes Orphanage - it was getting dark. She took a breath, before walking up to the front door and knocking three times.

After a moment, Elizabeth opened the door "Detective," she said, a little defensively.

"Elizabeth," May nodded in greeting "Is Daisy here?"

Elizabeth looked behind her, before looking back at May "I'm sorry, she's not here right now,"

May knew she was, she knew she was probably sitting on the staircase, telling Elizabeth not to let her in, which made her heart drop again.

May nodded "Okay," and responded a little louder than normal, she said - for Daisy's benefit "Can you just tell her that I need to talk to her, so if she could give me a call...I'll be waiting,"

Elizabeth knew that she wasn't talking to her, so she just sighed softly and looked at May sympathetically "I'll pass it along," she said quietly.

"Thank you," May nodded and took a step back before turning around and quickly walking away before Elizabeth saw the tears building in her eyes.

Daisy didn't want to see her. As soon as she got to her car, a few tears fell against her will. She fought as hard as she could to push them back, but she ended up failing miserably.

Daisy didn't want to see her.

_Daisy didn't want her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY!! SO i apologize if any of the Mandarin is off, I used google translate, so I could probably guarantee that it's off. The first think May calls Jemma is Duckling. I thought it was a cute lil tie in there, and then she calls them Little Ones. The only way May does pet names is in Mandarin.
> 
> I hope this was okay!!
> 
> LMAO SORRY FOR THE ANGST


	7. Chapter 7

"Coulson,"

"Victoria," Phil replied, a smile on his face as he looked up at the woman with red streaks standing in the doorway of his office "What can I do you for?"

"Rogers is out sick, Carter needs you in trauma today," she said, making Phil frown.

"I've got surgeries today," Phil replied.

"Not anymore," Victoria replied "I've got Barnes covering your patients,"

"But-"

"Phil," she stopped him "This is coming from Carter,"

Phil sighed, he hated trauma, especially when people ended up in there from violence and then continue to lie about it. He made his way toward the elevator, pulling out his phone to make a call, though only getting voicemail.

"Hey, Melinda, it's Phil," he started, not really sure what he was going to say "I just, uh, I just wanted to tell you that I had a really great time the other night and if you're up for it, I'd love to take you out again sometime. That's...really all I wanted to say, so give me a call when you get this,"

"A special friend, Phillip?" an English voice behind her spoke up, making him snap his head around to face the woman.

He chuckled nervously "Yeah, I, uh...I went on a date the other night,"

"You like her,"

"Is it that obvious, Peg?" he asked, making her smile at him.

"Men are never subtle when it comes to women," Peggy replied "I just hope she's right for you,"

"Sounds like you've been talking to my daughter," Phil smirked as they rode the elevator down.

"I don't mean to pry, Phillip," she replied "I just worry,"

Phil gave her a smile "I know, but I think you'll like this one,"

Peggy smiled at him "Well, good for you," she replied as the elevator doors opened and she stepped out, turning around to face him again "We're a family at Shield, we protect our own,"

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," he grinned, making her shake her head at him as she doors closed.

Peggy Carter was a legend in the walls of Shield Memorial Hospital, a name that everyone talked about like a war hero. She was the youngest ever Cardiothoracic attending, and Phil Coulson was definitely scared of her the first time they met. But Peggy proved to be one of the hardest working, kindhearted people he had ever met - and she definitely lived up to the legend.

Phil walked through to the ER, putting on gloves as the nurse handed him a chart "Bed 4," she said, and he nodded her his thanks as he made his way over to the bed.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Coulson," he greeted "How are we today?"

* * *

It was a regular day like anything else, May and Maria got called out to a suspicious death in the streets of Brooklyn. A place they visited much too frequently. It was your standard crime scene of a good ol' fashioned shootout, only they weren't in the wild-west, and he wasn't a cowboy, he was a kid - and we wasn't armed.

"Poor kid," Maria muttered as she pulled the sheet back over his face "What's he doing in this part of Brooklyn? This is banger territory,"

"Maybe he refused to be one," Melinda mused as they walked out of the alley, throwing their gloves in the bin.

"Or maybe he was one," Maria added, making Melinda nod slightly, knowing full well that could be a possibility.

"Alright, I'll talk to the uniforms, get them to canvas the neighborhood, see if anyone saw anything," May said, making Maria nod "You and I'll have to do the death knock,"

"The worst part of the job,"

* * *

It took all of Melinda's compartmentalization skills not to cry with the parents of the boy. His name was Tyson Maxwell, and from what they've heard, he was good kid high school, trying not to get involved with any of the gangs in Brooklyn. He was a straight A student, with a full-ride scholarship to Columbia next year.

"When was the last time you saw your son?" Maria asked, her voice soft.

"Last night," his mother sniffed "He went to bed about 11, and he was gone for baseball practice before we got up this morning,"

"He was such a good player," his father said proudly "We thought that he wanted to be one when he got older, but he always had his heart set on being a marine biologist,"

"Has Tyson been acting strange lately? Like something was bothering him?" Maria asked and May spotted a girl at the end of the hall, just watching them. If she had to guess, May would say she was about 8.

She made her way down the hall to the little girl, who went back inside her room and sat on the floor with her stuffed dog. May approached her slowly, and sat down across from her "Hi," she said quietly "My name's Melinda, you must be Annalise,"

"Tyson's dead, isn't he?" Annalise replied, not looking at her.

Melinda sighed softly "Yeah, sweetie, he is," she replied "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about him?" Annalise just shrugged in return "Do you know if Tyson was having any trouble with anyone?"

Annalise finally looked up at her "The demon man was mad at him,"

"The demon man?" Melinda asked her, and Annalise nodded "Do you know the demon man's name?"

Annalise shook her head "I saw him yelling at Tyson at school,"

"Do you know what he was yelling about?" Annalise shook her head again, Melinda nodded "You did good, honey," she said as she noticed her parents at the door. Annalise ran up to her father, and he lifted her up onto his hip.

"Are you gonna find the person who hurt Ty?" she asked Melinda as she stood and approached them.

"I am gonna do everything I possibly can to make sure that the person who hurt your brother can never hurt anyone else ever again," Annalise nodded, and her parents silently thanked them as she and Melinda were walking towards the front of the house "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call," she said, handing over her business card before they left.

"That kid doesn't seem like a gang banger to me," said Maria, making Melinda hum in agreement.

That's when he caught her eye, the man with a giant tattoo of a demon on his arm watching them from across the street "The demon man," she muttered to Maria.

"The what?" Maria asked, puzzled.

"Annalise said she saw a demon man arguing with Tyson at school," Melinda explained and walked straight for the man who broke out into a sprint as he ran away from them.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Maria asked as they both took off after him.

They chased after the guy until he hit a dead end and pulled out a handgun from the back of his pants, waving it at them, making them halt to a stop.

"Whoa, there buddy," Maria said, putting her hands up in the air "Take it easy,"

The man - or kid rather - had wide eyes, he was clearly terrified. He couldn't be older than 20 years old "Get back!" he yelled at them.

"Okay, okay," Maria said, giving him a small smile "We're back, why don't you do us a favor and put that gun down?"

The kid shook his head "I didn't - I didn't mean to!" he started crying, tears streaming down his face "It was an accident, I swear,"

"I believe you," Maria told him "I just need you to put that gun down for me,"

Maria could tell he was about to put the gun down, but he noticed Melinda inching closer and panicked, quickly aiming at her and firing. Melinda quickly grabbed the gun and roundhouse-kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground, winded.

Maria had drawn her gun in the process "You good, M?"

May nodded "Yeah, I'm good," she replied, and Maria holstered her weapon, grabbing her cuffs to arrest the crying kid on the ground.

"Is that why your arm's got a bullet hole through it?" she looked up at her partner with a pointed look, making Melinda look down at her arm.

"Oh, shit," she responded, but shrugged "I'll be fine,"

Maria snorted loudly "Yeah, I know, that's the problem,"

* * *

Maria called in the nearest uniforms in the area and told them to drive the crying kid back to their precinct, so she could drive Melinda to the hospital.

Maria pretty much had to kidnap her own partner to get her to go to the hospital - as she insisted she could do her own patch job. Maria knew she would actually do it as well, that's the scary part.

Maria stole a tie off a random guy passing by, telling him she'll buy him a new one, and drove with lights and sirens to the hospital. Maria dragged her by the ear to get her to the emergency room, rolling her eyes the entire time.

"Yeah, hi," Maria said to the nurse at the emergency desk "My partner's been shot,"

The nurse quickly sprung into action, paging a doctor, making Melinda roll her eyes "Don't rush, I'm fine," she said to the nurse, but she had already got a doctor over.

"Melinda?" the voice from behind her made her freeze, she should've seen this coming. She turned around and gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Phil,"

"You've been shot," he stated, pretty much in shock. He was wearing dark blue scrubs, which brought out his eyes.

"Looks that way," Melinda replied and Maria looked between the two with amusement "Maria, this is Phil, Phil this is my partner Maria,"

Phil looked towards the smirking woman and stuck out his hand "Oh, hi, it's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard a lot about you,"

"None of it's true," she responded, shaking his hand.

Phil turned back to Melinda "Okay, I have no idea how you're not freaking out right now, but let's get you patched up," he said, turning and leading them to an empty bed.

Melinda sat on the end of the bed, her legs hanging off the edge, and Phil sat in front of her on a wheelie stool.

"So, busy day then, huh?" Phil asked casually as he started to clean the wound.

Melinda shrugged with her good arm "Pretty slow actually," she replied, making Phil shoot a look at her that told her he wasn't impressed, making her smile.

Maria watched them, this was the first time she'd smiled since Daisy left three days ago, part of this made her happy - but the other part of her knew that this guy could shatter her too.

"So, how's Daisy doing?" he asked, and both Maria and Melinda froze, making him look up after a few moments.

"Uh, I'm just gonna go get some water," Maria excused herself, quickly walking out of earshot.

Phil looked up at the woman and frowned as she swallowed "Melinda?"

"She's gone," she said quietly, not looking at him.

Phil sagged his shoulders a little "Are you okay?"

Melinda shrugged her good shoulder again "I'm fine," she gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and Phil knew that she was definitely not fine. He kept looking at her, worried, and Melinda tried to reassure him "Really, Phil, I'm...I'm okay,"

"Is this why you haven't called me back?" Phil asked.

"I just...my kids are home right now and I've just had a lot on my plate," she explained.

He nodded "Yeah, I understand," he smiled at her before he continued with her wound. They sat in silence for a while, and Melinda just watched him work. It was fascinating. He was so concentrated on the perfect stitch, his forehead would get a single line between his eyebrows, and his mouth was slightly open. He smiled triumphantly when he'd finished his stitches, clearly happy with his work.

He snapped off his gloves "Okay, so, the stitches are dissolvable so they'll go away on their own," he said "Because it was a clean wound, I'd only wait a week before letting it get wet," he explained and smiled up at her "I believe you'll make a full recovery, Detective,"

Melinda smiled back at his enthusiasm as he stood up "I'm gonna go get everything sorted out so you can head home, but I would suggest taking a day off work,"

A snort from behind them sounded and Maria walked back towards them "Like that'd ever happen,"

Phil looked at Melinda "Oh, you're one of those are you?" Melinda rolled her eyes and Phil smiled at the both of them "I'll be right back,"

As he left, Maria jumped right on it "You like him,"

Melinda glared at her partner "Shut the fuck up,"

Maria just laughed at her and put her hand up in surrender as Jemma and Trip ran up to them "Mom!"

Melinda frowned "What are you guys doing here?" she asked them as they both gave her a hug.

"Maria called us," Jemma explained, making Melinda glare at the younger woman.

"Did she now?" she said pointedly, making Maria shrug.

"Are you okay?" Trip asked, looking at her bandaged arm.

"I'm fine, it's just a graze," she tried to calm her children, but it seemed to make them more angry.

"Just a graze?!" Trip asked incredulously "Mom, you got shot!"

"How can you sit there, in an emergency room, and say you're fine?!" Jemma shouted at the same time.

Maria has never seen Melinda shrink to anyone but her kids, but watching her kids yell at her for being shot was more than she can handle, and Melinda sagged her shoulders, shrinking. Maria tried extremely hard not to laugh at the sight, until Trip turned to her.

"And you!" he yelled, making her somber, and step back a little "How did this happen? You both carry guns for fuck's sake!"

"Language!" Melinda scolded, making him roll his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt," Phil came in cautiously "But I just have your medication here,"

He had no idea how to play this, whether she wanted her kids to know what kind of relationship they had, or whether she wanted to keep it to herself.

"Thanks, Phil," Melinda replied, taking the drugs from him as he stood awkwardly "Guys, this is Phil,"

"Phil..." Trip started "Phil the date?" he asked, making Melinda nod. Trip suddenly started smiling and stuck out his hand for the doctor "Hey, how's it going? I'm Trip,"

Phil took his hand "It's an honor to meet you," he returned the kid's smile before turning to the other teenager "You must be Jemma," he smiled "I've heard wonderful things,"

"How come this is the first I'm hearing of this?" Jemma asked her mother, offended.

"I was going to tell you..." she tried "But I never got around to it,"

"We'll talk about this later," Jemma replied, eyeing her mother for a moment before looking between the two and grabbing the two other people in the room "Well, we're just going to be over there, for no reason whatsoever, other than to give you two privacy,"

"But-"

"Antoine!" Jemma scolded her brother as she yanked him and Maria out.

Melinda smiled slightly embarrassed at what he just saw and how this is how they met, and Phil just chuckled "I like them, they're protective,"

"Oh, you have no idea," she responded and Phil gestured to the pills.

"Twice a day, with food," he said, making her nod as she grabbed onto his scrubs, pulling him to stand in front of her.

He, once again, wasn't sure what was happening until she pulled him down by the front of his scrub top and joined their lips together. When they pulled away, he was smiling, and she was looking up at him with shining eyes.

"What was _that_ one for?" he asked, tracing his fingers up and down her back.

"An apology," she said simply "For not calling you back, I just..."

"I know, it's okay," he smiled at her understandingly.

"Phil Coulson, would you like to go on a date with me?" she asked him, making him smile.

He tried his best to hide it as he pretended to mull it over "I don't know, I mean, I think that ship has sailed..."

She punched him in the chest, making him yelp, but smiled anyway as she pulled him down for another kiss. They stayed like that for a few moments before Phil pulled back "You know, I expect you to go all out, I don't want to be disappointed-"

"Shut up, Phil," she cut him off and pulled him down again.

Phil melted into the woman, knowing no matter what they did, he was not going to be disappointed.

* * *

Eight missed calls. She woke up with eight missed calls. One from Maria, one from Trip...six from May.

Daisy sighed, it had been four days since she left May's apartment, and it wasn't getting any easier. It was ridiculous really, she had only known the woman a week.

She listened to the messages, the ones from May were pretty much all of the same tone. She was checking in, she wanted to know if she was okay, and she asked her to call her back. But she never would.

Then she listened to the message from Maria, all she said was that something had happened, and that a call from Daisy might be a good idea. But then she heard Trip's message and her heart dropped.

_"Look, I don't know what the hell is going through your head, but Mom could really use a call from you right about now," his tone was angry, but then he sighed "Mom got shot, she's okay, she's fine...but just...call her, okay?"_

Daisy's eyes went wide and she scrolled through her phone, hovering over Melinda's name. She hesitated for a moment, and just stared at it, but finally hit 'call'. The phone was answered on the second ring _"Daisy?"_

Daisy's voice got caught in her throat, and she couldn't speak "Hey," she heard Melinda sigh with relief on the other end, but she didn't say anything else "Are you okay? I heard you got shot,"

_"I'm okay. What about you? How are you doing?"_

"I'm fine," Daisy lied, and she knew that Melinda knew she wasn't fine "How did your date go?"

_"Good. He's uh, he's a good guy,"_

Daisy rolled her eyes "I could've told you that, I need more," she said, and Melinda chuckled on the other end.

_"Okay, fine, let's see. He's got two kids, he's obsessed with Captain America, and he owns this bright red Corvette which he calls 'Lola',"_

Daisy burst out laughing "Lola?" she asked "And how big of an obsession with Captain America are we talking here? Like seen all the movies, or full on memorabilia?"

_"Memorabilia,"_

Daisy started laughing again "Oh, my God, okay how did it end? Was it romantic or awkward?"

_"Romantic, but not cheesy,"_

"Ooh, that's always good," Daisy responded, but then fell into a silence, and Daisy's smile slowly fell. She knew she couldn't keep this up, it only got her hopes up again.

_"Daisy?"_

"I just wanted to know you were okay, but now that I know you are, I have to go," she responded.

_"Daisy, wait-"_

"Goodbye, Melinda," she said quickly, and hung up. She stared at it for a moment before standing up off her bed and spinning around, throwing the phone on her bed with a loud yell. Tears started to blur her eyes and she found it hard to breathe. She put her hands behind her head, locking them together, as she tried to calm her breathing.

Calling was a big mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY HAVEN'T MADE UP YET NOOOO! lmao oh well, we'll see about next chapter :)


	8. Chapter 8

Trip was angry. He was angry that she left without even saying goodbye to his mother, he was angry that she refuses to talk to her, but he was mostly angry because his mother was hurting. And no one makes his mother hurt. It was a Saturday, and he was taking a risk to whether she was actually home or not. But he had to try.

He knocked on the door, pushing the anger down and smiling when a woman opened the door "Hi, can I help you?"

"Good morning, Ma'am," Trip smiled his most charming smile "My name is Antoine, I'm a friend of Daisy's, is she home right now?"

The woman smiled and stepped aside "Of course, she's just up the stairs, first room on the right,"

He beamed at her again "Thank you very much," he responded and made his way up the staircase, his smile slowly falling from his face. He looked around as he walked in, taking in his surroundings. He stuck his head in Daisy's room and saw her on the floor, her knees to her chest, her head bowed.

"You know, this reminds me of a home I was in once," he said, leaning on the door frame, making her snap her head up to meet his eyes.

"Trip, what are you doing here?" she asked him. Her eyes were raw and her cheeks were stained.

"I came to see why you would choose this place over us," he said, pushing off the door frame and coming to sit in front of her.

"I'm not choosing, I'm just...making it easier for everyone," she responded.

"And how exactly are you doing that?" he asked her, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm making the decision, so Melinda doesn't have to," Daisy replied "She's..."

"What? Not good enough for you?" Trip asked, making Daisy snap her head to him, glaring at him with ferocity in her eyes.

_"No."_

Trip sagged a little as he realized "You don't think you're good enough for her..."

Daisy looked down at the floorboards "I'm not good enough for your family, Melinda knows that,"

Trip sighed "Daisy, she doesn't believe that at all, neither do I," he said "You think you're not good enough? That the only family your deserve is the couple of nuns downstairs?"

"Been that way my entire life," Daisy replied, still looking down, but Trip saw a tear fall down to the floor in between her legs.

"Daisy, look at me," Trip said softly "You deserve more than this," he said, gesturing to the orphanage "More than chores and church and being paraded around every week because a family _might_ want to take you home,"

"What makes you so sure?" Daisy asked him, finally looking up "You don't even know me,"

"Anyone who is willing to sacrifice a chance at a real family with people she really cares about, because they think said family deserves better, automatically becomes a person worth taking a chance on," he gave her a small smile "Daisy, you are worth more than you think you do," he said "Mom knows it, I know it, and Jemma really wants to meet you,"

Daisy looked surprised "Melinda talked to Jemma about me?"

"Of course she did," Trip replied "Well, not at first, she was way too upset to talk to anyone - not that she'd ever admit that,"

Daisy smiled a little as she wiped away the tear streaks from her face "I'd really like to meet her too,"

Trip beamed at her, but frowned when she saw Daisy look down and away from him "Daisy?"

"I really screwed things up, didn't I?" she asked him in a whisper.

He sighed "Nothing that can't be fixed easy,"

Daisy shook her head "I can't...I hurt her, I can't go back, she'll get over it,"

"Daisy..."

"I think you should leave," she said, standing up and taking a step back, not looking at him.

"Daisy-"

"Trip, please," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself in comfort. Trip sighed and nodded before he walked slowly out of the door, pausing to look back at her one more time. He walked out of the house, thanking Elizabeth on his way out. If Daisy wasn't going to go to Melinda, then Melinda would have to go to Daisy.

* * *

"Mom, just listen to me," said Trip as Melinda cleaned around the house. That's what she did when she was stressed, she would clean.

"Drop it, Antoine," she said simply.

"I'm telling you to go to her," Trip said, following her everywhere she went, he wasn't giving up on this.

"And I'm telling you to stay out of it," she told him sternly.

"And if your were right, I would listen to you, and you're not wrong often but this time you are - you are so wrong," he said, making her bang the book she had in her hand on the coffee table.

Trip paused, she never hit things, sure she hit people and punching bags, but she never used force in an argument "Mom, please listen to me," she finally looked at him, and he knew he had about ten seconds to grab her attention "I went and saw her at the orphanage,"

"You what?"

"She wants to be a part of this family," he said, making her shale her head - not quite believing him "She said so herself,"

"Then why did she leave?" she asked him.

Trip sighed "She didn't think she was good enough," he replied "She still doesn't, I tried convincing her otherwise but she got upset that she hurt you too much,"

Melinda looked away from him, starting to tidy again and trying to get away from the conversation.

"Mom, please, just go an speak with her, and you'll see it too," he pleaded with her, but she just kept ignoring him "Mom, c'mon!"

"Antoine!" she finally snapped "She made her decision," and with that, she disappeared upstairs.

Trip sighed, and looked over at Jemma who was standing in the doorway between the living room and the downstairs hallway. She had her arms crossed defensively and her shoulders were hunched over, and Trip knew that meant she was worried "She'll be okay,"

* * *

She was the only one there, in the NYPD gym. It was 10 at night, and Melinda was pummeling her fists into the punching bag. She didn't normally hit things when she got angry, she usually channeled it - but that only works if she has something to channel that energy into.

She'd been there for almost an hour, and it still wasn't working. The bag swung back and forth as she danced around it, ducking and weaving before landing hard blows to the bag.

"Making you feel any better?" Maria.

Melinda didn't respond, she just kept punching. Maria came up to the bag, steadying it as Melinda continued to punch harder and harder. Maria was kind of expecting that. It's how she got it out, the words. It was never an elegant speech or even full sentences, just random words that popped out every now and again until she actually formed one.

"Stupid," she muttered. The first word. It was a start, and Maria knew she had to be patient, encouraging her to speak would only make her clam up. It was a full two minutes before she said another one "Daisy."

Then they came out more frequently: Idiot. Scared. Hopeless.

Five minutes later, she finally stopped punching, and Maria knew this was it. They just stood there, Maria still clasping the punching bag as Melinda panted.

"I can't give her what she deserves," Melinda shook her head, finally looking up at Maria, who had her head cocked to the side slightly "She deserves better than me,"

"Is that why you feel stupid?" Maria asked, and May's eyes started to well up.

"I've done some terrible things in my life," she said, her voice cracking a little "What gives me the right to take in a girl like her?"

Maria's eyes couldn't help but burn too as she pulled the older woman in for a tight embrace "Don't ever say that," Maria whispered "What happened...what happened back then did _not_ make you a terrible person, and punishing yourself for something that was not your fault is what's stupid,"

As Melinda pulled back from her partner, Maria put her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders "What makes this one so different from Antoine and Jemma?"

Melinda shook her head "They were just kids, they were so innocent and so trusting, and they couldn't see the bad in me.."

"Melinda Qiaolian May, there is not a bad bone in your body..." Maria said forcefully "Except for that bone in your wrist you fractured a few years ago," she joked, making Melinda laugh.

Maria smiled and shook her head slowly at her partner "Mel, between the two of us, you're the force of good," she said "Every time I got us into trouble, you got us out. Every time I was drowning, you kept me afloat,"

"You're a terrible swimmer," May quipped, making Maria bite down a smile.

"Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to be poetic here," Maria responded, and Melinda rolled her eyes playfully.

"You suck at it," she responded.

"Well, I never went to college so try not to rub it in," Maria replied and started to unwrap her partners hands, when she noticed they had started to bleed "You are an idiot though," Maria scolded her "Anyone who thinks you're not worthy is, apparently you're the only one,"

"I hate you,"

"I love you too,"

* * *

Melinda got home that at around midnight that night, only to see her kids on the couch waiting for her.

"Mum!" Jemma was the first to spot her, and Melinda dropped her gym bag as her daughter jumped her into a tight hug "I was so worried,"

"I know, Xiǎo yā," she responded softly, running her daughters back in circles. They stayed like that until Jemma pulled away, but Trip had stayed on the couch.

"We had no idea where you went," Trip said, simply, wringing his hands together.

Melinda sighed, sitting down on the coffee table in front of him, pulling Jemma's hand to guide her to sit next to him "I want you two to listen to me; you two are the most important things in my life, and anyone or anything who threatens that will have hell to pay,"

"We know," Jemma said, but Melinda just put her hand up and said softly.

"I'm not done," she said, making Jemma nod and listen "When I was a Wushu fighter, something terrible happened, something unforgivable,"

Trip frowned, all he knew about her ending her own fighting career was that she just wasn't into it anymore, and she really wanted to become a cop.

"I was twenty four, I was in a tournament with a new fighter," she started "Even for a beginner, her moves were slow and...untrained, no self-respecting coach would ever put a fighter like that in," Melinda shook her head as she recounted that day "So I went easy on her, I could hear my coach scolding me from the sidelines, but I knew something was wrong,"

"What happened?" Jemma asked.

"I kicked her in the head...my specialty," Melinda bowed her head for a moment, willing herself to keep going with the story "She went down...and she never got back up,"

"She died?" asked Trip, his eyebrows furrowed - making Melinda nod.

"I thought you said you wen easy on her?" Jemma asked.

"I did," Melinda responded "That was the problem,"

"She'd been drugged," Trip caught on, Melinda always thought they were too smart for their own good.

Melinda nodded "Her coach sabotaged her. I knew something was wrong, I knew it, and I still kept-" she stopped herself, not letting the emotions get the better of her "I should've stopped, and I didn't, and now she's dead,"

"Mom, this was not your fault," Trip said, frowning at her "You think you don't deserve Daisy because of something that happened nearly twenty years ago?"

"Not just Daisy..." Melinda replied, not looking at her kids.

Jemma and Trip looked at each other before they both hauled themselves at the woman in front of them "Mum, that's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," Jemma said.

"We love you," Trip said "We love you so much, don't ever doubt that,"

"I never have," Melinda replied, holding onto her kids as if her life depended on it - because the way she saw it, it does.

* * *

School on Monday dragged on longer than usual. She felt like every single teacher was draining the life out of her. She knew all this stuff, it's why she was ahead. She stayed up at night hacking into college websites, watching the lectures the professors posted online for their students.

She was great at math, excellent at it, in fact - but the nuns were still teaching her about 9th grade algebra, which she mastered three years ago. She wasn't so great at science, but that was okay - she knew enough to get her by.

The twins had left on Saturday, which was a terrible day in itself, it was the day Trip came to see her. None of the other kids really looked up to Daisy like those two had - they all thought there had to be something wrong with her to still be living in the orphanage. She had already come to that conclusion a long time ago.

But to those little boys, she was a role model, someone they could look up to. Well, everything comes to an end at some point.

Daisy finished school and threw her backpack into her room without even really looking, and went back downstairs to do her chores. There weren't many to do today, only the ones that she did daily. She was finished before she expected, and raced up to her room to get her homework out the way. She also knew that NYU would post another lecture for their Network Development and Technology course, which she wanted to get right on.

As she got to her room, she quickly grabbed her books out of her bag, but paused when she noticed something hanging off her mirror. Daisy stood up and approached the garment, running her fingers down the black leather softly. Melinda's jacket.

Daisy swallowed, before taking the jacket off the hangar and putting it on slowly. She let a smile creep across her face as she stretched her arms out in front of her, spinning around to look at herself in the mirror. She looked like a badass. She looked like Melinda.

That's when she felt it, something in the inner pocket. Probably something Melinda accidentally left in there. She reached in and pulled it out of the pocket - it was a folded up sheet of paper.

Daisy slowly unfolded it, trying not to rip or damage it.

When she read it, her breath caught in her throat. She definitely wasn't expecting this.

_'APPLICATION FOR FORMAL ADOPTION'_

Daisy stood in her room, frozen, not being able to move.

"I'm not really sure how to take that reaction," she heard from the doorway. Daisy's wide eyes snapped up to meet the older woman's. Melinda was leaning on the frame of the doorway.

"You want...you- _me?_ " she stuttered out, not being able to form a sentence.

Melinda shrugged "I mean, I was thinking of adopting your nun but she seemed a little uptight for my comfort, I guess you'll have to do," she joked and Daisy let out a laugh in disbelief.

"Are..." Daisy shuffled on her feet "Are you sure?"

Melinda pushed off the door frame and walked towards her, making sure she was looking her in the eye when she replied "I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life,"

The smile that spread across Daisy's face made her heart palpitate, and she threw herself onto the older woman who was waiting with open arms.

_"Welcome to the family, Xiǎo yā,"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I HOPE IT'S OKAY!! I cried writing this chapter lmao, although I am super-tired so...anyway, I hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
